Humor will not be tolerated!! -Portia

I am not all that experienced with ADHD and the like, but I was reminded of a situation I recently encountered. I had a talk with someone, whose 12 year old son had recently been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome. It is mild and they boy is able to function, but the parent noted an interesting point. One parent treated the diagnosis as if the boy's world was ending and the other acknowledged the problem, but tries not to make it into a crutch. When the boy is allowed to use his disability as an excuse for poor behavior, he gets worse. When the other parent does not allow it, he gets better. This might be helpful with someone diagnosed with ADHD. Acknowledge the problem and don't dismiss it, but also don't allow it to become the excuse for all bad behavior. Just some thoughts that might be helpful (or could be completely off base).

I've been diagnosed with ADD and the diagnosis made things so much worse, for sure. It was like bad behavior was expected of me.
I also noticed with another kid in my family (not diagnosed with anything) simply being labeled "the problem child" and being treated as such definitely led a downward spiral.

The nine-year-old sister with ADHD reminds me of someone I know. There is hope. This woman grew up and had seven great children of her own. She now gets along wonderfully well with her parents and brothers and sisters. She is currently serving as a Relief Society President.